Is the truth black and white? A Foucauldian analysis on subjugated knowledges within the academy

• In Event: 2454 - Critical Theory II: Critical Race Theory

Abstract

This paper employs a Foucauldian analysis of subjugated knowledges within the institution of sociology. It draws on the works of Michel Foucault, Patricia Hill Collins, and Cathy Cohen, amongst others, to argue that the dominant epistemology in sociology is both different from black women’s and devalues scholar-activism. Therefore, because black women scholars often engage in scholar-activism, there work is devalued. Finally, it explores the implications of this subjugation, imagines what a discipline that accepts a black woman’s epistemology would look like, and urges sociologists to reflect deeply on the norms and values of our discipline in order to make a more inclusive sociology.

Author

• Cori Pryor, Bowling Green State University